You are here

Council of Europe

Internet Society Status

The Internet Society has an Observer Status in the Council of Europe Consultative Committee of the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data (T-PD), as well as the Steering Committee on Media and Information Society (CDMSI).

About

The Council of Europe (CoE) is an international organization founded in 1949, with the objective to advance cooperation between european states in areas such as legal standards, rule of law, human rights, democracy, development and cultural cooperation. The CoE now has 47 member states and invites observers and experts to contribute to its committees and working groups.

One of the Council of Europe's most famous achievement is the creation of the European Convention on Human Rights, which was adopted in 1950.

The Council is also the home of the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, which is the first international treaty seeking to address crimes committed via the Internet and other computer networks, dealing particularly with infringements of copyright, computer-related fraud, child pornography, hate crimes and violations of network security.

The Council has passed an Internet Governance Strategy 2012-2015 that highlights its approach on governance issues and stresses its position in the human rights dialogue for the Internet. The strategy highlights support for an open and safe Internet where culture, diversity, education, freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, diversity and knowledge can thrive.